


The Best Laid Schemes

by damnfancyscotch



Series: TW Femslash '15 [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alive Laura Hale, Background Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Bartender Erica, Caterer Allison, Doing Someone A Favor, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Allison, Oblivious Erica, Party Planner Lydia, Scheming, Stiles and Allison are siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-12
Updated: 2015-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-24 13:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4920892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damnfancyscotch/pseuds/damnfancyscotch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So," Erica says, ring-bedecked fingers tapping at the mug in her hands, "how did we meet?"</p><p>Allison smiles, lifting one shoulder. "I figure we can say we met in a bar."</p><p>Erica raises the mug in a salute. "Nice. Stick with the truth."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Laid Schemes

**Author's Note:**

> This is Day One of the TW Femslash Fic Rec - Fake/Pretend Relationship.
> 
> It's late because I rewrote this damn story about 3 times before I finally got it worked out. Then real life stepped in for a while so I couldn't get it posted.
> 
> BUT IT'S HERE NOW :D [please excuse any mistakes!]
> 
> Enjoy babbies!!

“Wait, I can’t hear you. Hold on.” Allison steps into the bathroom hallway and presses her free hand against her other ear. “Say it again?”

Lydia huffs, mild displeasure in her voice as she states, “I _said_ , you need to bring a date.”

“What? Why?”

“Because _Hayden_ and her _fiancé_ are absolutely _insufferable_. I don’t want her to have any ammunition to use against us later.”

“Oh my god.” Allison steps out of the way of a patron stumbling drunkenly toward the bathroom. “You’re telling me to bring a date so Hayden won’t have anything to _gossip_ about?”

Lydia makes an exasperated noise. “ _Yes_.”

“I’m the caterer, Lyds, not a guest. I shouldn’t need to bring a date.”

“You’ll only be there in a supervisory way. The rest of the time, you’re going to be schmoozing with the guests, which effectively makes you another guest. Besides, you dated her, you know how she is.”

“Mostly evil.” Allison rubs her forehead. “I don’t even… Lydia, the gala is in _three days_. How the hell am I supposed to get a date for something like that in three days?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you have anyone that owes you a favor? Or a friend who’d like to have an amazing meal and all the free, high-quality booze they can drink?”

Allison runs through her friends in her head. “The only person I can think of is Stiles and Hayden _definitely_ knows we’re related.”

“Dammit,” Lydia sighs. “It’s fine, I guess. Just, if you find someone, let me know so I can add them to the guest list.”

“I still can’t believe you’re the one planning her organization's party.”

“I’m the best event coordinator in the city, Allison. It’s to be expected that I’ll have clients every now and then that I absolutely cannot stand.”

“This is totally ridiculous, you know that right?” Lydia makes an affirmative noise. “You’re lucky I love you,” Allison grumbles.

“I’m well aware of that, thank you. I’ll see you Friday.”

“I’ll bring the samples and the set up plans.” She tries to remember where the plans are. Her desk, maybe, or at home somewhere?

“Perfect. Love you. Kiss kiss.”

“Kiss kiss.” Allison hangs up the phone, slumping against the wall. “God _dammit_.”

She only lets herself stew for another minute or two before she stands straight and tugs at her shirt hem. She slips back into the bar proper and slides up next to Stiles where he’s waiting in line behind a group of people.

“There you are.” He presses a kiss to her temple. “Was that Lydia?”

“Yeah.” She tries not to let her shitty mood color her words. “She was calling about the gala on Saturday.”

“Oh. What’s the matter now? The wrong linens got delivered? Place settings out of place?” He gives her a faux-horrified look, clutching at his chest.

She shoves his side. “No. She just asked if I was bringing a date.” She decides not to mention Hayden at all, well aware of how her brother feels about her ex.

He frowns. “But you’re the caterer?”

She throws her hand in the air. “That’s what I said!”

“I’m sure it’s fine if you don’t bring someone.” He steps closer to the bar. “Now then! We are going to focus on more important things.”

She rolls her eyes, lovingly though. “Like your birthday.”

He nods. “Like my birthday.” He puts his hands in the air and says joyously, “It’s my birthday!”

The bartender smiles at Stiles’ outburst. “And what is it that I can get you, Birthday Boy?” she asks in a purr.

“Vodka! So many shots of vodka. Alright, like three, to start.” He drops his arm over Allison’s shoulders and adds, “And a Jack and Coke for my sweet baby sister.”

She pinches his hip and enjoys the indignant squawk that he emits. “Please,” she glances at the girl’s name tag, “Erica.”

Erica winks at her. “Coming right up.” She sets three shots on the bar followed by a Jack and Coke.

“How much?” Allison asks, reaching for her wallet.

Erica waves her hand. “On the House. It’s your brother’s birthday, after all.”

“Damn right!” Stiles crows, downing two of the shots. “I _love_ this place.” He clinks his shot glass with her drink. “Come on Ally, let’s dance.”

“You don’t know how to dance,” she informs him before turning to Erica. “Thank you.”

Erica nods. “Absolutely, Ally. Have fun.”

She smiles, letting Stiles drag her onto the dance floor. The next time they visit the bar, a different bartender approaches them.

The guy is buff, stubbled, dark-haired, and exactly her brother’s type. “What can I get for you?”

Allison winces slightly, praying that Stiles doesn’t try one of his idiotic pickup lines on the guy. Thankfully, he just orders a Sex on the Beach and another Jack and Coke.

Still, Stiles hums ‘Birthday Sex’ under his breath as the guy makes the drinks. She nudges him and he waggles his eyebrows at her.

“Idiot,” she says affectionately as they accept their drinks and Allison hands him her card to start a tab. He swipes it then hands it back, running his eyes appraisingly over Stiles’ back as he makes his way back onto the dance floor.

“It’s his birthday,” she says innocently as she puts her card back into her wallet.

He raises an eyebrow at her.

She adds, “And he’s single.” She raises her glass to him, glancing at his name tag. “Thanks, Derek.”

He grunts something that she doesn’t catch as she goes to make sure that Stiles doesn’t hit anyone while he’s dancing.

\-----

A couple hours later, Allison sits at the bar and goes through her schedule on her phone’s calendar. She adds an event that she meant to put in that morning then adds a note about the gala. _Ugh_. She glances up when a fresh soda is placed in front of her, replacing the empty one.

“Thanks.” She sees that it’s Erica smiling at her.

“No problem.” The blonde looks down at the opposite end of the bar where Derek is cleaning up, smiling softly at Stiles where he leans on the bar, gesturing with his hands, clearly in the middle of a story. “So, your brother’s caught Derek’s eye.”

She smiles. “So it would seem.”

“Is he a good guy?” Erica asks.

Allison looks at her, tilting her head at the serious look on her face. “I’m probably not an impartial judge, but yeah, he is.”

“Good. Because Derek is good people. He doesn’t actually talk to customers that often.” She waves her hand. “Well, not like that, I mean.”

“He deserves someone good.” She glances over to where Stiles is laughing brightly, head thrown back and eyes shining.

“Yeah.” Erica nods at Allison’s phone. “Messing around or actually working?”

Allison admits a little sheepishly, “Working. I have a catering business and there’s a big event coming up on Saturday.” She sighs, unsure if it’s the late hour, the exhaustion that pretty much always pulls at her these days, or the clichéd sympathetic bartender idea, but she brings up her predicament. “And the party planner who also happens to be my best friend, called me a few hours ago and told me I need to bring a date since it’s my ex’s party and she’s a monster.”

“Your ex or your best friend?”

She laughs. “Both,” she quips before shaking her head with a smile. “The ex is the problem.”

“You don’t have any prospects lined up?” Erica starts wiping the bottles, putting little plastic ramekins on top of each one she cleans as she removes the pour spouts.

“Nope. The only person I know that’s available Saturday is at the end of the bar most likely becoming _un_ available as we speak.” She sighs, happy for her brother but now utterly lost as to what to do.

She shouldn’t care, she really shouldn’t, but she can’t help but imagine the smug twist that Hayden’s lips will form when she sees Allison there alone.

Erica laughs, knocking her from her morose vision. “Probably safe to assume.” She purses her lips, lifting one shoulder. “I’m free on Saturday.”

Allison stares at her. “What?”

“I’m free on Saturday,” Erica repeats, twisting the cloth around her hand. “I mean, if you need someone to keep your ex off your back, I don’t have anything going on.”

“I…” She thinks about it, taking in Erica’s blonde curls, her full red lips, the twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “That’s really nice of you.” _Is this really happening?_ “I, uh, can promise that the food will be excellent. I know the chef.”

“I bet it’ll be fantastic.” The blonde pulls a phone out of her pocket, handing it to Allison. “Give me your number. We can meet up for coffee tomorrow and talk details.”

“Okay.” _This is crazy._ She still types her number in and presses _Save_. “Thank you.”

Erica shrugs, typing out a message then pocketing her phone. “It’s no problem. It’ll be fun.”

“Really, though, thank you. You have no idea how much you’ve just saved my ass.” Allison sends a quick text to Lydia to let her know to add a Plus One next to her name, not opening the one from Erica yet, though the little ‘1’ tugs at her.

“Hey, I get a free meal and get to go to a swanky party.” She gives Allison a playfully-suspicious look. “It _is_ gonna be swanky, right?”

“ _So_ swanky,” she agrees, looking over at where Stiles is ambling over, waving his fingers and smiling like a fool. “I think that’s my cue.”

Erica nods, smiling. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Allison nods and links arms with her brother and they head out. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” he sighs happily.

She loads him into a cab, grinning at the way he smiles out into the night. They get to the apartment and he goes directly to his room, collapsing on his bed face down, wriggling out of his pants.

When she’s placing a glass of water and some Excedrin on his nightstand he murmurs, “Thanks for taking me out, Ally Cat.”

She pulls off his shoes, tugging the blanket over his legs. “Happy Birthday, Stink Bug.”

“Love you.” He rubs his face into his pillow and smacks his lips, the way he always does right before he drops off to sleep.

“Love you too.” She leaves the room, closing the door softly.

She gets ready for bed, only opening the text waiting for her when she’s lying in bed, cozy and about to fall asleep.

**_Unknown Number:_**

**_Mission 4057: “Swanky Party/Make Ally’s Ex Rue The Day” Status: Accepted._ **

She grins, shaking her head before checking her alarm is set before she turns over and closes her eyes.

\-----

The next morning, Allison wakes up, stumbles to the bathroom then into the kitchen, and eventually ends up standing in front of the coffee pot, staring as it percolates. Her phone beeps with a new text from Stiles begging for her to make breakfast.

She doesn’t bother to text back. She hits the back button and sees Erica’s message from the night before. There’s still a small part of her that doubts that this could possibly be happening as she types a new text.

**_To Erica:_ **

**_I_ ** **_’m available at 1:30 – does that work for you? We could meet at Java Jam on Prior Street?_  **

She’s halfway through preparing breakfast when she gets a reply.

**_From Erica:_ **

**_Sounds good. I’ll see you then. :)_ **

When Allison steps into the coffee shop, she’s about fifteen minutes late – _thank you very fucking much Stiles_ – and she cranes her head around, trying to see if Erica’s there yet.

“Hey, Ally!”

She turns and sees Erica in a coveted corner booth, windows all around them open to the park next to the shop.

She knows she’ll have to tell Erica eventually that the only one that calls her ‘Ally’ is Stiles but she leaves it for now, settling into the booth. “How are you?”

Erica flutters her eyelashes with a wistful smile. “Swell.” She places a menu on the table. “This place is great. Have you ever had their vanilla scones?”

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t really eat a lot of sweets while I’m out since I’ve got so many back at my shop.”

Erica hums. “Do you make scones?”

“I certainly do.”

“Alright. Next time we hang out, I’m gonna need you to bring some scones, for taste testing purposes,” Erica informs her.

“I’ll see what I can do.” Allison smiles, looking down at the menu in front of her, even though she knows she’ll just get the same thing she always does.

The server appears at her elbow, almost as if summoned. “Hey there. Do you ladies know what you’d like?”

Erica gestures for Allison to go first so she says, “Yes, may I have a medium caramel latte, extra hot, no whip cream, in a mug?”

“You got it. And you, honey?”

Erica grins up at the girl, chin on her palm. “I’ll have a Chai tea latte with three shots of espresso and extra whipped cream in a mug, please.”

“Alright, I’ll have those right out for you.” She and Erica make faces at each other before she walks away.

“Friend of yours?” Allison asks with a grin.

Erica nods. “Kira. She’s possibly the sweetest person on the planet? Incredibly clumsy, but hella kind.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“She is. But! We’re not here to talk about her. We’re here to talk about ‘us’ after all.”

“Ah yes. So tell me about yourself, sweetie.” She frowns then immediately laughs when she sees Erica do the same thing. “Eh, maybe no-go on the pet names.”

“Agreed. I don’t really get them, you know?”

“Yeah. Me neither.”

Kira walks up with their coffees, placing the mugs gently on the table. “Anything else I can get for you?”

Allison glances at Erica, who shakes her head, and says with a smile, “We’re all good.” Kira smiles back, winking at Erica as she walks away.

“So,” Erica says, ring-bedecked fingers tapping at the mug in her hands, “how did we meet?”

Allison smiles, lifting one shoulder. “I figure we can say we met in a bar.”

Erica raises the mug in a salute. “Nice. Stick with the truth.” She takes a sip of her coffee, letting out a soft hum of pleasure at the taste.

“As close to it as possible,” she agrees.

They talk about how long they’ve been dating – _“A couple months. Makes it seem like it’s more than casual but less than serious.” “Nice.” “Thank you.”_ – and other minute details about themselves that may come up that they can pull off the top of their heads – _“My favorite color is green.” “Mine too.” “Perfect, something that’s easy to remember.”_

By the time their “Mission Strategy Meeting” comes to a close, Allison has learned that Erica is funny and sharp, a biting wit softened by her bright purple smile. Allison is a bit enamored by the way she pushes her long hair over her shoulder, carelessly sending the gold curls cascading.

It really is a shame that their “relationship” is a sham because Erica is very close to Allison’s type of person. She shrugs the thought away, laughing at another sharp comment from the blonde, finishing the last of her coffee with a smile.

\-----

The gala hasn’t even started yet and Allison is ready to either scream or sit in the corner and drink an entire bottle of champagne.

Two of her staff members are out with the flu, the ones that are there are barely able to cover the prep without the extra hands, and the scallops are missing from their supplies so that’s an early appetizer and a heavy hors d’oeuvres that have to be scrapped from the menu, and she can’t find a hair tie – since she’s not supposed to actually be working – so she’s stuck using a napkin as a bandana to keep her hair from her face as she whips up an emergency appetizer.

She’s figured something out and is putting the final touches on the display, smiling at guests that have arrived, when she hears, “Isn’t this lovely?”

She tries not to hunch her shoulders and pastes a pleasant smile onto her face. “Hayden. What a treat.”

The girl laughs and it sounds hollow. She tightens her hold on a guy’s arm and gestures with her free hand. “Allison, so good to see you again. Have you met my fiancé, Liam?”

“No I haven’t. How nice for you. Congratulations.”

Hayden speaks before Liam can reply. “Thank you. We’re quite happy.” She flicks her gaze over the food and over Allison’s appearance before smiling sharply. “You look… nice.”

Allison glances down at her catering shirt, covered with sauces and bits of who-knows-what and raises an eyebrow. “I haven’t had a chance to change for the party yet.”

“Oh, you’re here as a guest, as well as the caterer! How quaint!”

“Yeah.” She has to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Who the fuck does Hayden think she’s fooling, talking like some upper crust beauty with too much money?

Allison remembers eating sixty-five cent tacos with her when they were too broke to afford much else.

She’s saved from having to reply as a hand rests on her lower back and a soft kiss is pressed to her cheekbone. “Hey Ally,” Erica greets happily. “Why haven’t you changed yet?”

“Hey.” Allison ignores Hayden’s shocked face, turning and running her eyes over Erica’s form. She’s in a tight, dark red number that goes to the floor, baring just enough décolletage that it’s distracting but not obscene, with her hair curled up into a heavy chignon at the base of her head. “You look great,” she says honestly.

“Thanks.” She looks around at the set up. “Go get cleaned up. I’ll help finish arranging these.”

She presses a kiss to Erica’s cheek, already unbuttoning her catering shirt. “You’re the best.”

Erica hums happily as she arranges petit fours. “I know.”

As she rushes away, she hears Hayden ask Erica her name. She pauses in the doorway, unable to resist listening in.

“Erica Reyes. We haven’t met.”

“No we haven’t. My name is Hayden Romero, soon to be Dunbar. I’m an old friend of Allison’s.”

“Really? That’s odd. I’ve never heard anything about you before.” Erica’s voice sounds utterly innocent.

Hayden tuts, condescension clear in her voice, “Well, sometimes it takes a while to really get to know someone. I wouldn’t worry yourself about it.”

“Oh, I think Ally and I know each other pretty well.” The double meaning is clear in her tone and Allison presses a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

“Hm, how nice for you two,” Hayden snaps. “Come on, Liam.”

Allison can perfectly picture the sour look on her face to match the tone of voice as she stomps away.

It probably shouldn’t make her so happy but god, it really does. She goes the rest of the way down the hall and grabs her garment bag and shoes before heading into the bathroom.

She manages to change and pull the napkin-bandana from her hair in less than ten minutes, smoothing her hands over her dress and smiling at her reflection. She deems her appearance passable and shoves her things into her bag, tossing it into the catering truck before she goes back inside, small clutch with her phone shoved inside of it hanging from her wrist.

She snags a glass of champagne, winking at Heather when she takes it. The girl smiles back and moves on to another group of party-goers. Allison strolls by the food, taking pride in how lovely it looks, noting how nicely Erica had arranged the remaining items.

Speaking of her date…

She scans the crowd, looking for the beautiful blonde, eye catching on a flash of dark red as people part for a moment, revealing Erica in the middle of a group of men, laughing brightly.

When she steps up next to Erica, it’s automatic to slip her hand to rest on her lower back. The group gathered around turn to look at her curiously. Erica turns and smiles, looking thrilled to see her.

“A vision in gold,” Erica murmurs and presses another soft kiss to Allison’s cheek, dropping her arm lightly around her shoulders.

“Sorry to take you away from your new friends,” Allison says, nodding to the men with a smile, some of whom look confused, “but we need to find Lydia.”

“It’s fine.” Erica tells the men, “It was nice to meet all of you. My girlfriend needs me to go and schmooze now.” She winks and lets Allison guide her away, grinning. “You really do look amazing, you know,” she tells Allison lowly as they move through the crowd.

“Thank you. Lydia picked out the dress.” She plucks at the soft gold skirt, spotting said friend’s head of bright hair. “Speaking of, come on. I need to introduce you to Lydia.”

“Reintroduce, remember,” Erica reminds her. “Lydia met me while you were changing and already approves of me highly.”

Allison laughs. “Is that so? Have you two been scheming?”

“No more than the two of us have,” the blonde replies with a secretive smile that has Allison’s chest tightening, her stomach flipping with something troublesome.

“Allison! There you are!” Lydia calls, breaking them out of their staring.

Allison laces their fingers together, tugging gently. “Come on.”

“Hey Lydia.” Allison kisses the air next to Lydia’s cheek while her best friend does the same. “You remember Erica?”

“Yes. Good to see you again, Erica. How have you been?”

Erica smiles, easily answering, “Well. How’s Prada doing?” She winks at Allison's amused look.

“Perfect, as always.” She rests her hand on the arm of a handsome man next to her. “This is Aiden. Have you two met yet?”

Allison smiles, observing the ensuing introductions with amusement. She’s honestly quite impressed. She’s not sure who’s aware of the fact that she and Erica aren’t actually dating and who isn’t as people join their small group, popping into the conversation easily.

The whole time, Erica’s fingers stay entwined with hers, only pulling away to swipe a loose piece of hair behind her ear. They smile at each other and Erica relocates her hand to the small of Allison’s back again as she nods along with Aiden's twin brother Ethan’s explanation about the organization that the gala is benefiting.

The rest of the night goes quickly in a blur of more champagne, introductions, and the solid weight of Erica’s hand on her at all times, the smell of her perfume something rich and heady as her laughter fills the air.

By the time the event is over, Allison has only seen Hayden one more time, scowling down at a plate of food as her fiancé munches on it happily, talking to someone cheerfully.

She grins, walking past and grabbing her bag from the van before going back inside.

Lydia tugs her into a one-armed hug as she passes. “Thank you. You are the best friend I could ever ask for.”

“You have no idea the things I do for you,” Allison informs her, pinching her side gently. “I expect so much repayment, you have no idea.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something,” Lydia assures her, patting her cheek. “Erica’s at the front door, waiting for you.”

She ignores the teasing in her friend’s tone and waves as she walks away. “Kiss kiss.”

“Kiss kiss.”

She steps outside and finds Erica waiting next to a cab. “Come on Ally, let’s blow this pop stand.”

She smiles, sliding in when Erica opens the door. The blonde follows after her and leans forward to tell the driver her address before sitting back and smiling at her. “I had a lot of fun tonight. It wasn’t nearly as horrendous as you made it out to be.”

Allison purses her lips, tilting her head. “Well, I suppose part of that was the fabulous company.”

“That’s gotta be what it was,” Erica agrees, nodding seriously, though her eyes are warm with amusement.

They smile at each other before looking away, each watching the city pass by as they get closer to Erica’s place. The cab pulls up to a lovely brownstone and Erica hands the driver money before opening the door.

“I’ll be right back,” Allison tells the driver, sliding out to stand on the sidewalk, leaning her arm on the open door.

“So,” she starts, meeting Erica’s gaze and realizing that she would love nothing more than to lean in and kiss the warm, red curve of Erica’s lips.

 _It’s better not to, don’t make it weird_ , one part of her whispers.

 _Just ask her out! You’re technically already on a date. It’s not that crazy to think she’d say yes to a real one_ , screams another part.

“Thanks again, for helping me out,” she says instead.

Erica nods, smiling crookedly. “It really was a pleasure. Have a good night, Ally.”

“Good night.” She steps back into the cab and tells the driver her address after she shuts the door. She glances out the window at where Erica raises one hand in a wave, looking a little forlorn.

She turns around and slumps down in the seat, letting out a deep sigh. She’s certain that she’s made the right decision.

When she wakes up the next morning with a slight headache, the only thing she’s certain of is that she’s a total idiot. She rolls over and groans into her pillow.

She hears Stiles laugh from the hallway. “What’s the matter with you, Ally Cat?”

“I’m gonna die alone, Stink Bug,” she moans piteously.

“You are so dramatic,” Stiles informs her and she snorts – as if he’s never complained about the exact same thing. “Come on. If you get up and act like a human being, I’ll buy you brunch.”

Allison debates for a brief moment before sighing deeply. “I suppose that might make it better.” She sits up, ignoring the snorting laugh he gives at the state of her bed-head. “I don’t want to talk about the gala.”

“Fine. I don’t want to talk about my date either.” He waves away her concerned look, scowling at his feet. “Just get dressed. Seriously, I need all of the Bloody Marys.”

She pulls on a paper thin black sweater that’s fashionable enough not to get them kicked out of La Reve, their favorite brunch place. “God, I love you. That sounds perfect right now.”

“Pfft, I know.”

She scowls now, pulling on a pair of burgundy pants. “I change my mind. I hate you.”

He drops his sour expression, grinning lopsidedly at her. “I know.”

She rolls her eyes, bumping him hard as she exits her bedroom. She lets him latch onto her as she tries to put on her socks and ankle boots, stumbling and purposely falling into things as they both laugh and she mumbles, “Oops! God, so clumsy! My bad! Oh no!”

By the time they get a table and have their Bloody Marys in hand, she feels a little less pathetic. “Thanks,” she says, not looking at him dead on, pretending to be aloof as she scans the people walking by.

He raises his chin, her spare pair of sunglasses looking too large and slightly bug-like on his face. “Yeah, you too or whatever.” He nudges her foot under the table, throwing an olive into her drink.

She grins, taking another sip, bumping his foot back.

\-----

A couple of weeks later, her phone rings while she’s in the middle of rolling out a crust for a quiche. She hits the button on her Bluetooth with the side of her hand, happy that it connects since she’s notorious for hanging up on people by accident. “Allison Argent.”

“Hey Ally.” She freezes, recognizing the voice before she hears, “It’s Erica.”

Allison takes a quiet breath before she says brightly, “Hey there. How’ve you been?”

“Good, good.” Erica clears her throat. “So, uh, I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure. What’s up?” She rubs some flour between her fingers.

“So, there’s this family dinner thing tonight, not my actual family, more like found family, but, anyway, everyone is bringing a date and because I told Isaac that I was going on a date the Saturday of the gala…” Erica says in a rush.

“And now he expects you to bring your date to dinner,” Allison finishes for her.

“Yeah and he’s probably mentioned it to Laura who probably mentioned it to Talia…” She makes an exasperated sound. “God, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked. It’s so last minute and this is completely different from your gala.”

“Really? How so?”

“These people are good intentioned and so very nosy,” she makes a disgusted noise, “because they _love_ me and _care about my_ _well-being_.”

She stifles her laugh and says seriously, “How obnoxious.”

Erica growls, “Exactly my point.”

“So, how swanky are we talking?”

Erica sucks in a surprised breath. “Oh, shit, you’ll actually come?”

Allison hums. “Depends.” She pauses for a moment before asking, “Do I have to wear uncomfortable shoes?”

Erica laughs. “Not unless you want to. Personally, I’ll be glad if everyone is wearing pants when we show up.”

“Is that something I need to know the backstory for, or…?” There’s a smile bordering on ridiculous curling over her mouth.

“Nope, though you may hear it while you’re there. They’re notorious for embarrassing each other because it fills them with vicious joy.” The last part is muttered in a frustrated tone.

“Should I be concerned?”

“Nah. They don’t know anything about you. You’ll be fine.” She hears the sound of shifting, like Erica’s fiddling with something. “You seriously don’t mind coming with me?”

“Of course not.” _Shit, don’t seem too eager, you’ll freak her out._ “You helped me out. It’s a pleasure to be able to do the same for you.”

Erica huffs a laugh. “You really are the best, Ally. I’ll text you the details.”

“Alright. Sounds good.”

“Talk to you soon.”

“Later.” She disconnects the call and leans over the table, frowning down at the lopsided crust. Her phone buzzes with a text, drawing her out of her staring.

**_From Erica:_ **

**_8 o’clock. 927 Monroe Way. Just wear pants – seriously._ **

She smiles, quickly pushing down the bubble of hopefulness that threatens to explode in her chest. She glances at the clock and curses, looking down at herself – covered in all sorts of ingredients, as usual – before calling, “Sandra? Can you finish the quiches? I have to go!”

\-----

She shows up right before eight with a bottle of red wine and a stomach filled with butterflies.

 _Play it cool, don’t make her uncomfortable, smile, smile, smile_.

She rings the door bell and waits, shifting from foot to foot until the door opens and reveals her brother.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demands.

“Derek invited me to family dinner.” He shrugs, pulling her in for a hug. “But, wow, Ally Cat, I sure am glad to see you too.”

She pulls out of the hug and scowls at him. “Shut up. You surprised me. We saw each other a few hours ago. You didn’t say anything about dinner.”

“And I didn’t know Erica would even be here until I got here a half hour ago.” He steps back, holding the door open. “Come inside already, will ya?”

She enters the house, clutching the bottle of wine. Stiles starts down a short hall that leads into a beautiful kitchen. Derek is slicing bread and Erica is sitting on the counter when they enter. The blonde drops to the floor with a smile.

“Hey. Glad you could make it.” She looks good, happy.

“Of course.” Allison steps forward and kisses her cheek, forcing herself not to linger. “I wasn’t sure what kind of wine to bring…”

“I’m sure whatever you brought is great.” She passes the bottle to Derek when he holds his hand out for it. “Everyone else is running a little late. Talia’s upstairs with Laura but they should be down soon.”

“Cool.” Allison pats her hands on her pants, simultaneously trying not to smile like a dreamy idiot and also trying not to say anything stupid, because, for lack of anything else, she's on the verge of saying  _Look, I wore pants!_

Stiles says, “Hey Ally, you need to wash your hands before dinner. Come on, I’ll show you the bathroom.” He snags her arm and heads back down the small hallway, pulling her into the small bathroom and shutting the door. “What’s up with you?” he demands.

“Nothing!” She winces at his scoff. “I’m just… a little nervous.”

Stiles huffs, narrowing his eyes at her before nodding once. “Alright, as long as you’re okay.” Stiles says as he washes his hands, “I’m just glad things are working out with you two.”

Allison frowns, shaking her head at her brother, a little shocked that he doesn’t know, though really, she hadn’t ever gotten around to telling him the whole story. “Stiles… my ‘relationship’ with Erica isn’t real.”

He looks at her like she’s grown another head. “What?”

She shrugs, trying not to sound as bummed as she feels. “I’m only here as her fake date so that no one will have to question why she went out with a complete stranger the other night when she was with me during the gala.”

He mumbles, “Fake date… stranger…” His expression turns curious. “Ally, how long have you known Erica?”

“A couple of weeks. Why?”

He leans against the counter. “Well, she’s known you, or at least known _of_ you, for about three months.”

That… makes _no_ sense.

“What?”

“Derek mentioned the other night how happy he was that Erica finally got up the nerve to ask you out because she always talks about you. She’s had her eye on you since we started going to the bar.”

“I… what?”

He gives her a frustrated look. “Ally, I’m going to put this very simply because it seems like maybe you’re not understanding.” He puts his hands on her shoulders and says slowly, “Erica _likes_ you.”

“Holy shit,” she whispers.

He draws back, satisfied that his point has gotten across. “Yeah.”

“This doesn’t make sense to me really but… okay…” She suddenly feels sick. “But Stiles, if she _does_ really like me, then we started out all wrong and I maybe rejected her a little. _Fuck_ , I fucked up!” She flaps her hands, bordering on panic.

He shakes his head, pushing her hands down to her sides. “I disagree. I mean, yeah, this started out as one person doing a favor for another, but from what I heard from Lydia, you two are so fricken precious together it makes me sick. Seriously, like, hurl my guts onto your shoes kind of sick.”

“Oh my god!” She shoves him. “Do you always have to be so descriptive?”

“I’m an English teacher. It’s my job.” He shrugs.

She rolls her eyes, washing her hands since that was what she originally came here to do. “I still cannot believe you shape young minds.”

“I know. What on earth were they thinking giving me a license to teach?” He tousles her hair. “Let’s go. I’m sure everyone is highly suspicious of why their two new house guests are closed into a tiny bathroom together.”

She waves her hand. “I’m not really sure that’s the biggest worry here. Have you heard about the likelihood that someone may show up for dinner without pants?”

“Oh shit, really? I love this family already.”

They step into the hallway and find Derek and Erica standing there, looking like they just stopped speaking mid-sentence. They both shift guiltily, eyeing the siblings.

“Hey guys,” Stiles says slowly, looking back and forth between them. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Derek says as Erica nods, very obviously not looking at Allison. “Uh, dinner’s ready so we wanted to come and let you know…”

The siblings nod, sharing a look before Stiles steps forward and takes Derek’s hand, pulling him back toward the kitchen. “Smells good. Are the rest of the family here yet?”

Allison looks at Erica who still isn’t looking at her. “So…” The blonde’s eyes flick up. “I wanted to ask you a favor.” She takes a step closer.

Erica makes a small sound that _could_ be a laugh. “What’s the favor?”

“Could you be my date to Lydia’s birthday party in three weeks?”

The blonde runs her eyes over Allison’s face, mouth pursing before she nods. “Sure.” It’s flatter than her normal playful tone. “What’s the dress code?”

“Remarkably casual. Though there is a specific requirement that you’ll have to meet to attend with me.” Allison takes another step closer.

Erica’s eyes drop to her mouth before rising quickly back up to her eyes. “O…kay. What’s the requirement?”

“You’ll have to come as my girlfriend.”

Erica actually does laugh this time. “Been there, done that, Ally. That’s kind of the whole point of,” she waves her hand back and forth between them, “ _this_.”

She suddenly understands where Stiles was coming from just a few moments ago, convinced that she was being just as dense. She shakes her head a little. “I’m not sure you understand what I’m saying.”

Erica tosses a hand in the air. “Then explain, please, because this is making no sense to me.”

Allison places her hands on either side of Erica’s face and pulls their mouths together firmly. She pulls back just enough to breathe, “Clear enough?”

“Crystal,” Erica exhales, placing her hand on the back of Allison’s neck and pulling her into another kiss.

“Hey Erica!” a guy calls loudly, jolting them apart. He looks like mischief, all gold-brown curls and dancing eyes as he leans against the front door and asks, “Who’s your friend?”

The tan guy one step behind him, probably his date, rolls his eyes and makes his way toward the kitchen, nodding at them as he goes into the kitchen without comment.

Erica is glaring at the first guy so fiercely that Allison can’t help the laughter that bubbles out. She puts out her right hand, still standing close enough that she can rest her left hand on Erica’s hip. “I’m Allison.”

The guy grins, accepting her handshake. “Hey Allison, I’m Isaac. It’s nice to _finally_ meet you.”

Erica mouths something at Isaac that makes him chuckle before saying aloud, “Isaac’s like the little brother I never wanted.” She starts back toward the kitchen.

Isaac doesn’t miss a beat as he falls in behind them. “And Erica’s the big sister I always wanted to push up the stairs.”

“That’s ever so heartwarming to hear,” an older woman says as they enter the room. “Hello,” she says with a smile, spotting Allison. “I don’t think we’ve met. I'm Talia.”

“This is Allison,” Erica says, glancing at her happily, cheeks a little pink as she continues, “my girlfriend.”

"Well, it's nice to meet you Girlfriend Allison. Please make yourself at home," Talia says warmly.

"Thank you."

"Hey! Anyone home? I come bearing cheesecake!" another woman shouts, drawing everyone's attention.

Erica smiles at her and Allison tries to keep the dumb grin off her face as she laces their fingers together.

 _Girlfriend_.

She definitely likes the sound of that.

**Author's Note:**

> Well? What did you think? Let me know!
> 
> kisskiss  
> ♡ Scotch


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